As lawmakers press General Motors and regulators over their decade-long failure to correct a defective ignition switch, a new review of federal crash data shows that 303 people died after the air bags failed to deploy on two of the models that were recalled last month.

The review of the air bag failures from 2003 to 2012, by the Friedman Research Corporation, adds to the mounting reports of problems that went unheeded before General Motors announced last month that it was recalling more than 1.6 million cars worldwide because of the defective switch. G.M. has linked 12 deaths to the faulty switch in the two models analyzed, the 2005-7 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2003-7 Saturn Ions, as well as four other models. …

G.M. has recalled six car models because of defective ignition switches that, if bumped or weighed down by a heavy key chain, can shut off engines and power systems, disabling the air bags. On Feb. 13, it recalled 778,000 cars, including the 2005-7 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2007 Pontiac G5. Twelve days later, the company more than doubled the recall, with four more models — the 2003-7 Saturn Ion; the 2006-7 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice; and the 2007 Saturn Sky. All of those models used the same ignition switch, and none are in production anymore.

The company told safety regulators that it had received reports of the ignition defect as far back as 2001, according to documents filed this week. G.M. said the problem had been linked to 31 accidents and 12 deaths, but the company has declined to release details of those episodes, including dates, locations and names of victims.

The failure of air bags to deploy might be caused by this ignition-switch defect, which turns off most of the car’s electronics while in operation. The power gets cut to most functions, making the car difficult to drive but also disabling air bags and seat-belt locks in a collision. This list of 303 deaths represent all of the fatal air-bag failures on the affected models for this ignition-switch problem, though, and not just those tied explicitly to the switch.

The Center for Auto Safety, a public interest group started by Ralph Nader and Consumers Union, has written to federal safety regulators charging that the number of accidents is far greater than being admitted by GM.

General Motors says it has traced a defect in an ignition switch to at least 12 deaths. The problem caused the car to shut off while driving — disabling the airbag system.

“Without rigorous analysis, it is pure speculation to attempt to draw any meaningful conclusions,” the company said in a statement. “In contrast, research is underway at GM and the investigation of the ignition switch recall and the impact of the defective switch is ongoing.”

GM is correct that this is “raw data” and not thoroughly analyzed for proper cause. However, part of the reason why that is the case is that GM didn’t reveal the problem with the ignition switches until nearly a decade after the problem was discovered. The NHTSA, which is supposed to protect consumers from defective vehicle equipment, sat on this since 2007. In those earlier cases, it’s possible that investigators who were left in the dark about this defect may not have known to look for it.

By the way, what was the cost to replace this defect that GM apparently thought was too high to absorb? Er …

Before the disclosure of these documents, the earliest instance cited by GM had been from 2004, when a Chevy Cobalt lost power because the ignition switch turned on its own, disabling the airbags. GM employees were able to replicate the problem but the company determined it would take too long and cost too much to fix the defect.

However, the maker of the part in question tells the Journal that the cost of a replacement for the defective part is between $2-5 and that it can be replaced in a matter of minutes.

House Energy & Commerce Committee chair Fred Upton (R-MI) has begun to take a look at why GM and the NHTSA took no action for years on this defect, while the federal government scrutinized Toyota over an acceleration issue that may have been less deadly. The bailout of GM made Treasury a prominent stakeholder in GM during most of this period, and some wonder whether the Obama administration waited until Treasury finally divested itself of GM stock to take a look at this defect.

Hot Air has obtained a letter to Upton from the National Legal and Policy Center, in which its president Peter Flaherty stresses the need for a complete investigation. The NLPC has now filed FOIA requests with Treasury, NHTSA, and the Department of Transportation to determine if the lack of attention to this defect was deliberate, and Flaherty gives Upton a list of questions to answer in this investigation as well:

Dear Chairman Upton,

It is with great concern that I write to you regarding the troubling indications that the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and General Motors have failed in their duty to protect the safety of American motorists.

As your committee prepares for the upcoming House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the recent GM recall, I urge you to use every opportunity to examine what, if any, influence the U.S. government’s ownership of GM has had on this troubling failure to address the dangerously flawed vehicles. In addition, we urge your committee to consider posing the following questions to panelists at your hearing:

1. In late 2009, GM sued supplier JTEKT North America for $30 million over faulty steering columns associated with the very same vehicles recalled over the most recent ignition switch issue. Does GM intend to sue Delphi Mechatronics for the faulty ignition switch issues?

2. In 2005, GM settled a lawsuit with Amber Marie Rose, a 16 year old killed in a Cobalt crash when the ignition switch had shut down the cars airbags during a crash. GM’s Vice Chairman of Global Product Development was asked recently if he had ever been informed of any potential defect in the car’s ignition system and he replied “never.” Given the 2005 legal settlement, which almost certainly would have required approval by GM’s executive leadership, how is it possible that senior executives of the company such as Bob Lutz could not have known about the defect?

3. What prompted Delphi Mechatronics to change the ignition switch in late 2006? Did GM and Delphi Mechatronics ever communicate about problems with the ignition switch?

4. Did GM ever notify Delphi Mechatronics that there was a problem or request a design change?

5. Did Delphi Mechatronics ever notify GM that there was a problem with the ignition switch or notify GM that the equipment had been redesigned or changed?

GM’s February 13 recall of 1.6 million vehicles for faulty ignition switches that have been linked to 13 deaths and 31 crashes was prompted by civil lawsuits and media pressure, rather than NHTSA action, despite reports the agency knew about this dangerous defect.

Furthermore, the overdue recall came a long decade and many deaths after GM knew its ignition switches were defective. Similar failures brought Toyota leadership before Congress to be held accountable just a few years ago, but GM appears to have benefited from privileged treatment by the Obama administration just as the bailout gave UAW preferential treatment over other creditors in the bankruptcy.

NLPC is sending several Freedom of Information Act requests to NHTSA, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Transportation seeking answers to these questions and what communication, if any, government officials, UAW and GM had about any Cobalt issues during the bailout proceedings.

In fact, as has been reported just this week, under the terms of its bankruptcy, GM may be free from liability for injuries arising before its 2009 takeover bankruptcy. The Wall Street Journal reported that, “As part of GM’s government-led restructuring in 2009, the auto maker washed away a bevy of product-liability lawsuits against it” (March 8, 2014). Could this be why the public is finally learning about this vehicle safety issue just two short months after the U.S. Treasury sold its final share in late December 2013?

The U.S. Treasury Department had an interest in seeing General Motors stock increase in value, and GM had an interest in being absolved in all liability prior to 2009. However, the safety of the American public does not seem to have been an interest to either entity, not even to NHTSA, which has a responsibility to protect public safety.

American taxpayers are still struggling to accept their $10 billion GM bailout loss. We hope the bailout isn’t the cause of loss of life too.

Sincerely,

Peter Flaherty
President

Those hearings should produce some interesting testimony, and perhaps the FOIA requests will produce some interesting insights into how this defect got ignored for so long.

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The bailout of GM made Treasury a prominent stakeholder in GM during most of this period, and some wonder whether the Obama administration waited until Treasury finally divested itself of GM stock to take a look at this defect.

Oh boy!

Those hearings should produce some interesting testimony

Man, can you imagine the pretzelisation of Jan Schakowsky, Bobby Rush, Eliot Engel, and Frank Pallone if they have to defend the administration of ‘the black man in the White House’ if it did wait to look into the defect and people died?

Congressman Upton, has anyone ever told you that you resemble Darrell Issa, especially when Elijah Cummings Bobby Rush is speaking?

I prefer vehicles that have a set of points I can clean with emory cloth, and gap with a matchbook cover. Added bonus is it will start after an EMP attack.

wolly4321 on March 15, 2014 at 1:25 PM

Actually, EMP attacks mostly just cause errors to crop up until a the system shuts down — unless you are really close to ground zero. There is a really big difference in magnitude between when a device shuts down and when a device is permanently damaged.

I prefer Diesels that run on Vegi oil even better. I haven’t been to a gas station in over 8 years. For my cars at least. Motorcycles are a different matter! LeftCoastRight on March 15, 2014 at 1:43 PM

Not to defend GM or to rationalize the loss of lives here but the one case I saw on CBS the kids had been drinking and they were not wearing seat belts. Air bags aren’t much good without seat belts being worn. Have all these deaths been in high speed crashes? I had the engine quit on me in a Mercedes and I was able to stop the car without too much trouble. Like to see some more details on the crashes. Regardless, if it was a simple fix, why not do it and avoid the risk?

Technically, de jure, GM is not part of the government. De facto, it is; if only because its continued survival is politically necessary to the regime. Once again, de facto, GM is going to end up partaking of sovereign immunity from punishment for crimes. They can no more allow a major investigation of this than they could allow a major investigation of the SEIU’s actions. This will be covered up.

actually, EMP attacks mostly just cause errors to crop up until a the system shuts down —unless you are really close to ground zero. There is a really big difference in magnitude between when a device shuts down and when a device is permanently damaged. Count to 10 on March 15, 2014 at 1:42 PM

I know a little bit about it. Spent some time a Solomans Island MD getting zapped and running around with a rf power meter and a attenuater with a piece of coathanger meticuously and precicely bent in to a 4″ fish hook shaped thingamagiggy.EMPRESS.

Surprisingly I’m not bald.(no offense,Ed) Just can’t see well at night.

Technically, de jure, GM is not part of the government. De facto, it is; if only because its continued survival is politically necessary to the regime. Once again, de facto, GM is going to end up partaking of sovereign immunity from punishment for crimes. They can no more allow a major investigation of this than they could allow a major investigation of the SEIU’s actions. This will be covered up.

Subotai Bahadur on March 15, 2014 at 1:56 PM

^ de facto definition of all forms of Cronyism, including Socialism and Fascism, and most of your better quality isms.

Back in the mid 90s Ford had a major recall concerning ignition switches if I recall correctly. 95r28 or something like that if memory serves, was the recall number. Anyhow, maybe we should refer to how Ford, the government and the public reacted back then and apply it accordingly. Oh wait, everything is the end of the world now, not to negate deaths, but…

No one needs to worry about this. Eric Holder and the Justice Department will investigate this next week and announce Friday afternoon that ‘absolutely no evidence exists that anything improper’ happened after the G.W. Bush Administration left office, and the government bailout and gifting ownership of GM to the UAW under the Obama Administration had ‘no improper influence on decision making at GM or at the NTSB’.

After all, DOJ has found without fail, that there is no evidence whatsoever that any government agency has made any improper decisions based on political considerations under the Obama Administration.

You can trust those guys, since they are so totally honest and transparent about everything. Feel better now? (/sarc)

Of course the use of ‘nothing improper’ in this administration does not mean much. They can self-justify doing just about anything, and Holder will officially decide is was not ‘improper’ as long as it served the will and intents of the current President.

As an insurance appraiser with a history of 15,000 claims in the 70s and 80s when no one wore belts and would not buy airbags when they were optional on Cadillac and M-B cars (1 fatality due to a doughnut tire),I am not convinced that front airbags are worth a darn to a belted driver. I suspect those explosive devices have caused more injury than they have prevented.

I realize that the public has been convinced they are the final answer in auto crash safety, but I have never seen it proven.

My last car was a gm. Just bought a new ford mustang gt today. I will never own a government motors car again. Gotta go work on my burnouts.

jhffmn on March 15, 2014 at 1:13 PM

Amen, brother. I was a 25 year GM guy until Obama and the “too big to fail” BS. I bought a GT Mustang last year and am on my second set of rear tires. Couldn’t be happier.

Wyznowski on March 15, 2014 at 2:32 PM

Their quality has sucked for years before Obama bailed them out. I purchased a 2000 Olds and had to have the transmission rebuilt 3 times in about 5 years before I gave up and quit driving it. It has been holding down the concrete slab in my garage for the past 5 years.

IMO GM deserved to go bankrupt and should have used bankruptcy to clean house. The bailout and government intervention in the bankruptcy process resulted in a failure to accomplish the reorganization and dispassionate financial housecleaning that is supposed to happen in bankruptcy, so GM will continue doing the same things that made them go bankrupt in the first place.

This being my experience and opinion, I will not consider buying any new GM product.

BTW, in 1991 I purchased a new Geo Prizm (sold by GM but mostly designed by Toyota). I still drive it to and from work every day. Never spent as much on maintaining it in the past 23 years as I spent in 5 years maintaining that piece of junk Oldsmobile.

My daughter and I both have Saturns in the recall. The dealer I called was mad as hell that GM announced the recall yet they won’t have the parts needed until well into April. We both have to keep driving even knowing the risks associated, so please do keep us in your thoughts.

My daughter and I both have Saturns in the recall. The dealer I called was mad as hell that GM
announced the recall yet they won’t have the parts needed until well into April. We both have to
keep driving even knowing the risks associated, so please do keep us in your thoughts.
sybilll on March 15, 2014 at 3:20 PM

My coworker has a cobalt. He took it in for the recall and after some discussion drove off in a 2014 Silverado to keep until the recall work is complete in April. go back and raise hell.

Let’s also pause to recall that the GM bailout not only screwed the bondholders and creditors in favor of labor unions, but also left those people who had won judgments against GM for wrongful death or injury out in the cold. Some were owed millions in structured settlements that Obama wiped away to cover his union thugs.

A bankruptcy judge might have done the same, but it is far more likely he would have cut overly generous union benefits first.

Let’s also not forget that GM and Chrysler screwed over hundreds of their dealerships with still-secret criteria re who they kept and who they fired. Were White Republican-owned dealerships closed while Black Democratic dealerships retained?

My daughter and I both have Saturns in the recall. The dealer I called was mad as hell that GM
announced the recall yet they won’t have the parts needed until well into April. We both have to
keep driving even knowing the risks associated, so please do keep us in your thoughts.
sybilll on March 15, 2014 at 3:20 PM

My coworker has a cobalt. He took it in for the recall and after some discussion drove off in a 2014 Silverado to keep until the recall work is complete in April. go back and raise hell.

Murphy9 on March 15, 2014 at 3:27 PM

I thk this is standard operating procedure on the part of the auto manufacturers. I worked for a Ford dealership in the service department during a good chunk of the 90s and was also a warranty clerk. When Ford had their own big ignition switch recall – it was big for the time (rivaled Chryslers rear hatch lock recall) – I seem to recall the public finding out before dealerships wee properly stocked to repair the vehicles.

If I remember correctly, my car was worked on twice because the technicians used it to practice the repair on – I had a 91 Escort that fell under the recall. Our parts department was low on stock and so they used the good switch out of my car and put it in a customers until they could get another switch and put it back in mine. I probably got a company vehicle for a day.

It will be sorted out. It’s good to call dealerships anyhow, every now and then and have them run your vin to see if any recalls come up. In theory every owner will get a letter from the manufacturer alerting them to the recall, but if you’re not the original owner, that might not happen. There are often a bevy of little recalls that never hit the news.

American taxpayers are still struggling to accept their $10 billion GM bailout loss. We hope the bailout isn’t the cause of loss of life too.

That $10 billion loss was only the loss on the government’s sale of GM stock. There were many more losses of taxpayer money than just the stock losses. There were billions more in direct government payments, loans, years of special tax breaks, etc.

The total amount that taxpayers were screwed out of in the auto bail-out was somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 billion. To save a few thousand (at best) union jobs.

EDIT of previous post:
After supposed sudden acceleration deaths, maybe thos folks were afraid of shutting off the engine because, that would kill them quicker ? Who thought Idiocracy was a documentary ?

That $10 billion loss was only the loss on the government’s sale of GM stock. There were many more losses of taxpayer money than just the stock losses. There were billions more in direct government payments, loans, years of special tax breaks, etc.

The total amount that taxpayers were screwed out of in the auto bail-out was somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 billion. To save a few thousand (at best) union jobs.

FOWG1, I handled a claim once of a petite woman who had a little crash, the air bag exploded, and it fractured her jawline above her top row of teeth clean across. All the teeth were gone. She needed reconstructive surgery to replace them.

My neighbor’s Toyota air bag exploded while she was driving. Thankfully, it only exploded halfway, so she made it off he freeway and had it towed him. They were all recalled shortly afterwards.

As for the GM cars, the engine stops, but it’s my understand the brakes no longer work either or the steering. So how do you stop?